ABSTRACT
Detection of metastatic lesions by bone scintigraphy is highly sensitive but has a low rate of specificity. Often bone metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma are not detected by bone scintigraphy because of low uptake or a photopenic area in the tumor. In contrast, Tc-99m Sn-N-pyridoxy-5-methyltryptophan (Tc-99m PMT) whole-body scintigraphy reflects tumor viability, and the specificity of detection is so high that tumor structure can be shown well. Tc-99m PMT whole-body scintigraphy was helpful for evaluating the response to therapy and monitoring the course of the patient described here with bone metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma.
Subject(s)
Bone Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Bone Neoplasms/secondary , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/diagnostic imaging , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/secondary , Liver Neoplasms/pathology , Organotechnetium Compounds , Radiopharmaceuticals , Tryptophan/analogs & derivatives , Bone and Bones/diagnostic imaging , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Radionuclide Imaging , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
We have developed a dissociated suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) cell culture system in order to begin a cellular analysis of the mammalian circadian oscillator. Monolayer-cultured neurons prepared from the SCN regions of 1-day-old rats were maintained in serum-free culture medium for 3-4 weeks and then perfused. In 12 out of 40 wells, a circadian oscillation of vasopressin release persisted for at least 4-5 cycles until the end of the perfusion period with no damping of the amplitude. This finding suggests that cultured SCN neurons retain the capacity for circadian oscillation for a long time, and should provide a useful model for the analysis of a mammalian circadian system at the cellular level.
